Arabic elements are an indispensable part of spoken and written Dari. Arabic grammar and syntax has not affected the structure of Dari to any great extent; however, the influence of Arabic on Dari vocabulary has been enormous. The majority of Arabic words are formed from trilateral roots (every Arabic word has a root consisting of three, in some words of four, consonants). The trilateral root is present in every word formed from the root (for example ک ت ب):
"school" مکتب
"correspondent" مکاتب
"letter" مکتوب
"in writing"کتباً
"book" کتاب
"clerk" کاتب
According to the rules of word formation, Arabic words can be divided into several groups. All the words in each group are formed on the same rules.
The most widely used Arabic elements in Dari are as follows:
The nouns of place:
"mosque" مسجد
"school" مکتب
"center" مرکز
"cemetery" مقبره
The nouns of instrument:
"tooth pick " مسواک
"key" مفتاح
The nouns of occupation:
"baker" خباز
"painter" نقاش
"carpenter" نجار
"messenger" فراش
The abstract nouns:
"humanity" اتسانیت
"majority" اکثریت
The adjectives:
"noble" شریف
"sick" مریض
"great" کبیر
The verbal nouns:
"occupation" شغل
"question" سوال
"prosperity" سعادت
"competence" صلاحیت
"part" قسم
The active participle:
"teacher" معلم
"guardian" محافظ
"correspondent" مکاتب
The passive participle:
"future" مستقبل
"known" معلوم
"letter" مکتوب
The prepositions:
"even, up to" حتی
"until, to" الی
"in" فی
Many Arabic words used in Dari are formed according to rules that have no special significance to Dari grammar and can be learned purely as vocabulary.
See Also: